Experiment 127
by St. Iggy the Pyro
Summary: Ed ad been missing for months, so when Mustang found him, he was prepared for the worst. But not this...why did Ed always take the fall?  Chimera!Ed, Homunculus!Ed, T for character death and language
1. Chapter 1

Heyyo! I was bored and feeling nocturnal, so I decided to write this. I got the idea for Ed-chimera after reading a couple of Fanfics with the "Ed-Chimera" as the main character. There was only two worth reading, and that made me sad, so I decided to make my own.

(Sorry if you have a good Chimera-Ed fic that is good that I somehow missed. (don't know how I could of possibly out of 35,000 FMA fanfictions [and still counting!] haha :P) If you have a good one that you would like me to read, just review the name and writer of the story and I'll check it out...Review it...Have a latte.)

Disclaimer: don't own FMA, wouldn't be on FANFICTION if I did.

Claimer: I DO own all my OC's and my plotlines. Steal without permission and suffer the consequences. DUN DUN DUUUUUUH!

On that note, I'd like to start the chapter!

Chapter one: the lab

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Huges had spent hours researching, days looking, and what seemed like months of kicking up dust. But there was still the million-dollar question.

Where was Ed?

He still remembered clearly the night they had learned about Ed's disappearance. He had been talking to Mustang in his office when Al had walked in in a stupor:

"Come on Roy, isn't it about time that you get a wife?" Maes teased his old friend.

"Look; I barely have time to sleep with my job, and you want me to take on the commitment of a relationship? Maes, there's no way I can climb up the political ladder and balance a wife at the same time! So stop pestering me about it!"Mustang said, starting out calmly, but voice growing into a shout.

Huges sighed and then said, "Roy, you're such a hothead, and still stubborn as ever, it good to know you haven't chang-"

"Colonel!" Al yelled, barging into the office, not stopping even to knock.

"What's the matter Al?" Mustang said, getting back into a business-like state.

"It's Ed! I can't find him anywhere!" Al started, sobbing in a way that only a suit armor can.

"What happened to Fullmetal?" Roy said, now in his normal, totally formal Commander Hothead state. "How long has he been missing?"

"Two days Sir. We...we...we got into a fight." Al choked out. "He ran out, he was angry...I don't remember what the fight was about really...I...I thought he would come back...that he needed some time to cool off...but it's been two days and he's still not back! I don't know what to do!" Al broke off, totally breaking down. Ed was the only family that he had left. If he lost him, he didn't know what he'd do.

Now Roy was worried. He knew Edward Elric well enough to know that he would never intentionally worry Al, and would never, ever skip town without Al with him. He also knew that Ed would never sleep in the streets, it was much to cold for his automail, being winter and all.

He had paused for a minute. "Huges," He said after a long time of thinking, "I want you and your best men on this case. Fullmetal is missing and I want him found. Put the whole base on code Black."

Huges eyes widened. Code Black was a code for when an important military figure was MIA. Important military figure being usually Brigadier General and above, and usually even the VIP's were missing for weeks, if not months, before Code Black was initiated. "Right away!" He said, and went to go file the papers needed for Code Black. Roy must know the kid pretty well, to put the whole country on alert this early. He better...he thought.

Even now, three months later, Roy's words rang in Maes' ears. Hughes needed to find him, if not for Roy, then for Al, if not for Al, then for Winry, if not for Winry, then for Ed himself. That alone was enough inspiration to last him years. He would find him, he had to.

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Mustang woke up to the sound of his office's door being opened. Were am I? He thought. He looked up. Oh, I fell asleep at my office again...did anyone see me? He thought, embarrassedly wiping drool off of his mouth.

"Don't worry, nobody saw." Hawkeye said. "You really have to stop doing that." She said gently.

"I know," He said, "Its just-" But he was broken off by the ring of the phone.

He picked up the phone. "Mustang here." He answered.

"I know where Edward Elric is." The voice hissed, almost tauntingly.

"What? Who is this?" Mustang yelled, angry and confused. 'If this is a prank call I'm going to kill them'

"If you got to a farm 51 miles south of central, there is a secret lab concealed under the floorboards of the barn. It's a yellow barn, with an oak tree on the left side. You'll know it when you see it."

Mustang froze. "How did you come across this information! Who are you?" Mustang shouted.

"You'd better hurry and save your officer-or what's left of him." With that, the caller broke off into a fit of laughter before hanging up the phone.

Mustang stared at the phone for a minute. "I want that call traced...NOW." He said to Hawkeye.

"Right away sir!" she said, and ran off to find Furey, or someone else that could trace it.

Could we have really found him? The colonel asked himself.

Ten minutes later, Hawkeye was back. "It was traced to a pay phone, about 1.5 miles from here. Do you want me to get someone to investigate sir?" she asked impatiently.

"No, they're long gone by now." Mustang sighed. "What I do want you to do is to get me a team ready to investigate."

"With all due respect sir, maybe you aren't thinking clearly. A stranger just called you and told you to go to a barn in rural central, and your going to listen to him?" Hawkeye asked, beyond surprised. Damn that Hawkeye with ears like a...well...hawk.

"It's our first lead in months!" Mustang exclaimed, exasperated, "And, it may be Ed's only hope."

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After an hour and a half of searching, they finally found it. The ranch with a yellow barn and a large oak tree on the let side. Carefully, Mustang, Hawkeye and the team of central officers went to go investigate it.

Mustang stepped around on the floorboards until he hear one creak. With shaking hands, he pulled the floorboard up, and the one next to it, and the one next to that one, until he had uncovered a small secret passage way under the barn.

He then gave Hawkeye his deluxe "I told you so" glance. God, it felt good to be right!

Then Mustang and his team dropped down the passage way. The first thing that hit them was the smell. It was all of the worst things in the world: urine, feces, fear, and worst of all death. The second thing was the puddles of alchemic god-knows-what on the ground, strategically set out like booby traps. Gross. He thought, remind me not to step in that.

He went over to the wall of the tunnel and felt along it's rough edges. Alchemic edges. "The tunnels here were made using alchemy; we're on the right track." He told the rest of the team. "Let's keep moving."

"Yes sir!" Everyone else said.

Mustang's skin prickled as he walked through the abandoned lab. This place was creepy; and not seven year old haunted house creepy, but creepy to a man that had seen hundreds of horror movies and had been on the front lines in be Isvalan war. The aura of Taboo was straight up freaky.

After what seemed like hours, they navigated their way through the underground tunnel.

Nothing could of prepared them for what they saw.

There were two headed chimeras, malformed animals, and worst of all: a normal human child, except it had all of its internal organs on the outside of its body. Many if the experiments were dead, and the ones that were alive, well, they weren't pretty.

Please don't let Ed be in here. Oh please, oh please. He started thoroughly checking out the contents of every cage.

Roy saw things no human should have to see, let alone endure. So slowly the numbers passed by: 1...14...35...47...69...88...92...100...until finally, Roy Mustang was at the last cage. It had two numbers on the papers that were attached to every cage. 108, and 127. Out of order? Mustang thought questioningly. He looked over the first one. Brown...extremely malnourished...dead. Oh don't let it be Fullmetal! Mustang prayed. Then he noticed. No way this thing was Fullmetal. It was female.

Roy perked up as he heard a animalistic growl. But it was wrong, like someone had taken a growl and run it through a computer.

"1...oh...8?" The second experiment growled. It was very much alive.

Roy looked over. He gasped at what he saw. He saw an extremely malnourished chimera with tawny fur...golden bangs...and Ed's golden eyes. But, they were dulled somehow, glazed with animal stupidity. Mustang's mouth went dry. "Ed?" He managed to choke out.

The Ed/Chimera looked up. "Ed...that...name? Not...1...27?" He was desperately trying to process the information that Roy had given him.

So he was 127? That meant that the dead chimera was 108...what Mustang had taken for a harsh growl before, was actually a questioning voice.

"Come on Ed." Mustang said, reaching his hand out towards Ed, who was still crouched in the corner of his cage.

"You...not...bad...whitecoat?" Ed asked fearfully.

"No, I'm not a bad...whitecoat, now come on." Mustang said, trying to reach farther into the cage.

Slowly, with much time, coaxing, and promises of not being a whitecoat, Ed finally crawled forward into Mustang's arms.

He was so...light. Could this really be Fullmetal?

"Ed...Ed...Ed...Ed...Ed...1...oh...8...Ed." Ed said, repeating his name over and over, with the name 108 thrown in. The sounds were gargled and malformed, just like the animal...chimera...thing...that they came from. Mustang looked at Ed. It was almost enough to make him cry. He was extremely malnourished, every bone in his body was showing, making Roy suddenly think of all those humane society commercials on TV and making him wish he had donated some money.

Somewhat normal dog haunches led up to a backbone that could only be described as...wrong. It was hunched over in a cruel way that reminded him in the cruelest way of both a wrinkled old man and a crippled hunchback. Tawny fur coated most of his body, except for his right foreleg and left haunch, which were colored more of a light brown. His face was like a normal dog's, but it was also wrong. His muzzle was too short, his forehead too broad, his eyes too intense. His eyes were Fullmetal's, too smart for a dog, but too dull for the human he had once been. Shaggy golden human hair covered his face and a bit of his back in a sort of mane. Expressive ears poked up, making Roy wonder of the breed Fullmetal had been crossed with. German Shepherd maybe?

Holding Ed closely in one arm, Mustang grabbed the papers attached to what formerly had been Ed's cage. "Take these to Hughes!" He yelled at some poor solider that happened to be standing nearby.

"Right away sir!" The soilder yelped and ran off, tipping in alchemical oooze along the way. 

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So, did you like the first chapter? If you did, please click on the magical button that the arrow is pointing at and leave your thoughts on it!

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	2. Chapter 2

I wasn't really planning on writing this so soon, but I was re-watching the Nina/Alexander chimera brotherhood episode and I'm all like: Ooh! Inspiration! O.o

ZOMG. how the he-double toothpicks does this story have 8 reviews already?

Fullmetalfan16: I've always been a fan of your story "pain of automail" so it means a lot that you reviewed! Thanks.

Mango: thanks I'm glad you're enjoying it.

The Vampire Alchemist: I know the first few chapters are similar to Number Twenty-Eight, but after the third chapter I will branch off and turn it into my own original radically different plot. I promise this isn't another repeat of Number Twenty-Eight. Thanks for your concern!

Nameless: I seriously made you cry? Awesome! Well, not really awesome, but it IS the emotion I aim for in stories, so by you saying that I know I'm on the right track!

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><p>Mustang hated waiting.<p>

He was an impatient man by nature, he liked instant gratification. He liked things to be fast paced. Looking back on it, it was a miracle that he ever became an alchemist in the first place, because it was a job that required a great amount of patience.

But right now, waiting in the vet's office, he decided was the worst wait of all.

Of course, Mustang had been against taking Ed to the vet because he "isn't a FREAKING dog!" But Hawkeye had insisted that in Ed's current state that the vet was the best option for him. Mustang had reluctantly agreed. The hospital would probably laugh at them if they brought Ed in looking like he did. Then they would turn him in to some type of 'precious sample' and have him carted off to God-knows-where. And Mustang would be powerless to stop it.

"Roy Mustang?" The vet asked quietly.

Roy stood up.

She looked at him sadly. "Sir, I don't know how to say this but-"

"Is he going to die?" Panic seeped in to his normally calm tone. Calm Roy, calm.

"No." The Vet said, "But, sir the kindest thing you could do right now is to have him humanely euthanized."

"Why would I do that if he doesn't have some type of deadly disease?" Roy asked. He was losing patience fast.

"That animal is in a lot of pain!" The vet shouted, surprising Mustang. She seemed like the more quiet type that tends to never raise their voice "He is probably the product of severe inter-breeding. He's malformed and will never function right. The best thing to do is to relieve him from his suffering, and let him rest."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Mustang said, reminding himself that she had no idea that they were talking about a human being right now. That she was talking about one of his subordinates. That she was telling him to put the Fullmetal Alchemist to sleep... "He's been my grandfather's dog for a long time and I'm quite attached to him. If there is nothing wrong with him, I should like to take him home."

"Everything is wrong with him; don't you get that?" She yelled. Roy glared at her and she breathed a sigh of defeat. "Fine, but you're making a mistake." With that, she walked back into the examining room and got Fullmetal.

"Here." She gently handed the lightweight Edward to him. "He's been starved for a while. You said your grandfather was too disabled to feed him?" She gave him a skeptical glance. "He needs to be feed in small quantities until his system can get used to being fed again." she informed him.

Mustang quickly paid the bill and left.

"I hope you do what's right for him soon." The vet said bitterly as he walked out the door.

"I am." Mustang muttered to himself as he got in the car. Ed lay down in the passenger's side. "Good job for keeping quiet Ed." Mustang praised him, trying not to pat him on the head; reminding himself that he was NOT a dog, but Ed was already fast asleep.

He was glad that Ed was able to keep his mouth shut. It would of been dificult to say the least, explaining Ed's current condition to vet the truth. It almost might of been nice though. She wouldn't of pushed so hard to euthanize him had she of know that he was a human being...or maybe she would have. Maybe letting Fullmetal have some peace would be the greatest kindness right now.

What was he thinking? Fullmetal was a person. A living human. No one decided when he lived or died besides him.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and concentrated on driving. A car accident was the last thing he needed tonight.

As he pulled into his driveway, Ed started to rouse.

"Where?" He asked in that warbled tone that grated on Roy's nerves.

Roy put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "It's OK Ed." He soothed. "We're home."

"Home?" Frown lines appeared on his face and he seemed deep in thought.

I wonder what about? He thought, then it hit him that the kid was desperately trying to remember what a house was. "Oh, house...you know like...a house? No...a pack...a den!"

Ed perked his ears up. "Den?"

"Yeah a den." Mustang said, sighing. Dog terminology had NOT been his major in high school.

Ed made a feeble attempt to stand and instead feel back on the seat. "No Ed!" Mustang warned. "I'll carry you."

Ed looked almost forlorn for a second, then he nodded slowly. Mustang went over and gently picked him up.

Once they were in the house, Mustang took no time in releasing Ed onto the couch. Mustang had trouble holding him. Heck, he had trouble being near him. Ed felt just like the underground lab had, just on a smaller scale. The aura of taboo was something that made the little hairs on the back of Mustang's neck stand straight up. It just wasn't natural! He went into the bathroom and turned the sink faucet on, splashing the water on his face; reveling in the cool sensation it brought.

Mustang turned the water off and took a good look in the mirror. He looked awful. His normally well-groomed face was covered in hair. His eyes had dark bags underneath them, giving him the appearance of a raccoon. And he desperately needed a hair cut. Mustang sighed. All in good time. First he needed to get Ed situated and he needed to contact Al...oh God...Al. What was he going to tell him? He would be absolutely crushed.

The phone suddenly rang, jolting Mustang out of his thoughts. Gaining an official look on his face, he answered. "Mustang."

"Roy?" The unmistakable voice of Maes Hughes questioned. "How've you been?"

"I've been a hell of a lot better." Mustang admitted. "And I'd be even better still if you would analyze that paperwork I've sent you."

"I will." Maes promised. "How's Ed?" His voice was hopeful.

"Not good." Roy admitted. "I dread having to tell Al about what happened.

"Al?" Ed's warped voice questioned. Slowly he made his way into the kitchen. "Where Al? Want."

"Um...Maes let me call you back." Mustang said, abruptly hanging up the phone.

"AlAlAlAlAlAl!" Ed demanded, stubbornly looking at Mustang.

"Al's not here Ed." Mustang answered. "I can call him if you want."

"Want." Ed bayed stubbornly. Then he whimpered in pain as his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.

"Ed!" Mustang shouted, carefully collecting the chimera in his arms. "You shouldn't be moving around!" He informed him.

"Hurts." Ed whimpered.

"I know." Mustang carefully carried him to his room and placed him on his bed. Ed awkwardly tried to get comfortable, but it seemed to prove challenging. Finally he bunched up like a normal dog would and gave a contented sigh.

"Try to get some sleep." Roy said, but the chimera was already gone.

Mustang got up and shut the door, peeking in while he closed it like a parent would for a small child. He walked back into the kitchen with a heavy heart. He can't even walk ten feet without collapsing. Maybe the vet was right. The thought haunted him. No. This was Ed. He couldn't...he wouldn't...he would never decide when it was time for Ed to die like that.

He halfheartedly picked up the phone and punched in Maes' number.

"Roy!" The cheerful voice answered him. Maes, unlike Mustang, had caller ID.

"Yeah." Mustang half said, half sighed.

"What happened? You scared me for a minute!" Mass practically yelled at Roy.

"Oh, Ed came into the kitchen. He fell down, so I carried him up to my room to catch some z's."

"He fell down?" Maes questioned.

"Yeah." Mustang muttered. "Look, Maes, do you know where Al is?"

"As a matter of fact, he's been staying with me and my wonderful wife Gracia! I think he's at the central library right now!" Maes cheerfully informed him.

"He's been staying with you?" this was news to Mustang.

"Yes! He's been helping with the search. He's been pretty helpful."

"Did you tell him...about Ed yet?"

"No, I decided to leave that to you."

"You ass." Mustang sighed. "When he gets back, have him contact me OK? We can't keep him in the dark forever."

"Will do. Did I tell you what my wonderful daughter Elicia did today? She took a marker and..." Maes started. Roy hung up. He wasn't in the mood to listen to Maes drabble on and on about his daughter. How could he be so happy with Ed in his current condition?

The library. Somewhere Roy would have to go soon. He needed to go and research bio-alchemy if he was ever going to get Ed back to normal.

A newly lit fire blazed in the Flame Alchemist's eyes. He would get Ed back to normal. He had to.

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><p>And we have finished the second chapter! For the fans of Number Twenty Eight by Sevlow, (I'm one) I PROMISE this is not a copy, steal or whatever. I have my OWN horrible twisted plot. So please, no flames.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Don't you hate it when this happens? It's a school night, so you go to bed on time, then...BAM! The plot-bunnies strike and you just HAVE to write. Then you're up until 4. That's what happened to me in this chapter. *sigh*

Wow! Three of you are still reading! Amazing! Most of the time, reading my work makes people want to punch a baby! JK...JK... ^.^"

The Curse of Forever: I have, you're right, IT's GENIUS!

Thelastunicorn: Thanks, glad you like it! (love your penname BTW XD) But, it's funny? That's odd...don't remember putting any humor in there...O.o. It must of been the plot bunnies controlling my mind!

FlamingFlyingFoxofDoom: Yeah...Ed would NEVER forget his brother! Yay! Brotherly love XD *fangirl Squee*

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><p>Ed had very little time to enjoy his nap. Less then an hour after Roy's conversation with Hughes, Alphonse arrived at Mustang's apartment.<p>

'BANG! BANG! BANG!' Thunderous knocks pounded at Mustang's door. He looked up exhaustedly. He had had such a long day...couldn't people just leave him alone? He sighed. It was probably old Mrs. Jensen asking him if he had seen her cat. Reluctantly he forced himself off of the couch.

'BANG! BANG! BANG!' The knocks came again.

"I'm coming!" Mustang snapped irritably. 'Believe it or not', he thought sourly, 'Some of us like to take naps in the middle of the day.'

He opened the door to see the last person he would expect to be banging on his door. Alphonse.

"Mr. Hughes said you had Brother here! Is that true?" His voice was hopeful, but tinged with doubt. Mustang was glad that Edward actually was with him, because it would kill Al if he wasn't. "Yes Alphonse." Roy sighed. "But..." He hesitated. He had wanted to speak with him over the phone. He didn't want to see Al break down...he couldn't handle it.

"But what?" Panic edged his voice. The glowing orbs that served as his eyes flickered in panic.

"Ed...he..." Mustang sighed sorrowfully. Forgoing the speech he had mentally prepared he laid down the cold, honest truth. "He's been turned into a chimera, Alphonse." Mustang watched as the light slowly faded from the armored boy's eyes as the realization set in.

Al's hands shook violently. "How...bad is he?" He voice was low and fragile, as if it would break.

"I'm not going to lie. He's bad. Closer to Nina then the chimeras you saw in Greed's lair." Mustang looked at Al. The poor guy looked about to totally break down...kid...not guy. Despite Al's size and fierce appearance, he was much, much softer then Ed. He wasn't really ready for the cold truth of reality, despite having been to Hell and back.

Had Al had had a real body, he would of been sobbing profusely, but the armor didn't allow him to cry. Or sleep. Or eat. Or feel. That was why the brothers had been trying so hard to get him back in the flesh. The cold realization set in that if Ed was a dumbed-down chimera, there was no getting back in the flesh for Al. "Maybe you should go back to the Hughes'" Mustang said gently.

"NO!" Al screamed, grabbing Mustang's wrist. His glowing eyes glimmered insanely. "I..." He calmed his voice. "I want to see him." He let go of Mustang and looked down.

"OK...but try not to upset him OK?" Roy gave in, rubbing his wrist. Al was stronger then he looked. He would have bruises in the morning.

Cautiously Al entered Mustang's apartment. He felt awkward going into the house of someone he knew strictly as a superior officer in the military, but remembered Ed and got over himself. Every step filled Alphonse with renewed dread. Ed...would he even be recognizable as the brother he had once had? They quickly walked through Mustang's small one bedroom home. Roy cracked the door to his room open so little that Al couldn't see through. "Ed." He called.

Ed perked up his mal-formed head and perked his ears up like a dog would after seeing a cat.

"Al...-your brother- is here to see you."

Al's heart sank even lower. Could it be possible that Ed didn't even remember him? His own brother whom he had spent every single day of his life with?

"Al?" A horribly twisted, warped voice called out as if struggling to remember. Then something clicked. "Al!" He cried happily, his tail wagging, thumping loudly against the wall.

Mustang smiled. He looked cute when he was happy. You just wanted to go and pat him on his head. "You can go in now." He nodded to Al.

Al slowly walked to the door, his heart filled with dread. His own brother barely remembered him. He hesitated before pushing the door slowly opened. He nearly cried at what he saw.

The thing on the bed couldn't be his brother. It had to be some type of sick joke. The THING was emaciated and deformed. It couldn't be Ed. It couldn't be. It couldn't be. It couldn't be. That one thought kept replaying in his head like a broken record.

"Al!" The THING barked/said happily. It weakly tried to force itself up, but fell back down. Whining and thumping it's tail it kept saying, "Al! Al! Al!"

Peering into the chimera's eyes, Alphonse finally confirmed the terrible truth. His brother was a chimera. His brother had been turned into a dumbed-down, stupid chimera. They were never getting their bodies back. Never.

He looked into the excited eyes of the thi...no, Edward, and chocked back a sob. He ran over and hugged him, holding him reassuringly.

Ed nuzzled his brother. "Al." He sighed contentedly, eyes almost returning to their former brightness, before dimming into animal stupidity again.

Mustang, sensing that the boys needed some time alone, left and resumed his nap.

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><p>Life went on.<p>

Well, no one ever really got used to Ed being a chimera, but their lives fell back into a routine again. Nursing Ed back to health, researching bio-alchemy, and jobs continued to make the world go round. Everyone was almost happy. Well, happy isn't really the word for it. Contented more like. Alphonse was glad to have Ed back, even in his chimeraish state, Mustang was glad to have reunited the boys and eager to research a way to get them back to normal, and Ed was happy to be reunited with his brother.

For a while life was OK. Not perfect. Not even good, but OK. Until one fateful day that there was a knock on the door of Mustang's apartment.

It was later one night on a autumnal evening, after Mustang had returned from work. Alphonse was at the library, reading up on bio-alchemy and Ed was snoozing on the couch when the fateful knock was heard.

'Knock! Knock! Knock!'

Ed perked his ears up from his slumber when he heard the three raps on the door, not knowing that they were drastically about to change his life once again.

Mustang walked to the door. He wondered who it could possibly be at this hour; most people had gone home. When he opened the door and figured out who had taken time out of their day to see him, he desperately wished that he had stayed in his uncomfortable stretched military outfit, instead of changing into to comfortable clothes. For standing outside his humble dwelling, was the Fuhror himself, along with several of his aids and his secretary.

Instinctively he put his hand to his forehead in a salute. "Mr. Fuhror, your excellency!" he shouted in his official military voice.

"At ease, Mustang." The Fuhror smiled. From inside the room, Ed growled. He didn't like the visitors. King Bradley peered inside Mustang's house. "And that must be Edward."

Mustang's eyes widened in surprise. 'How did he know so fast?' He thought disdainfully. He had meant to keep Ed's current condition a secret until he go back to normal. Mustang bit his tongue. "Yes sir." He confirmed.

"May I see him?" Mustang bit his tongue again. He was about to tell the most powerful man in the country no, when Ed made his way to the door.

"Hello Edward." Bradley spoke to Ed in the same tone that he had tailed to Mustang, like he was fully normal. This pleased Ed to no end, but still he growled, "Go away!"

"Ed!" Mustang hissed, he reached to pull him away from the doorway.

"At ease Mustang." The Fuhror laughed. "Why do you want me to go Ed?"

"You smell funny." Ed growled, much to the dismay of Mustang, who was at this point cursing every one of Edward's ancestors.

The Fuhror laughed even harder. Then his tone turned serious. "Colonel Mustang, I salute and thank you for taking care of Ed for this long, but I have come to take him into my custody."

Mustang's eyes widened in horror. "No sir! You couldn't possibly! I-" Bradley raised his hand.

"We believe that we have found a way to fix Edward and get him back to his normal state. Don't you want what's best for him?"

Mustang bit his tongue so hard that it bled. "Yes, sir, but I have been researching that, and I believe I am close to the answer-"

"You do realize that you are talking about human transmutation; a taboo; with the President of your country correct?" Bradley's eyes glared dangerously at Mustang, daring him to speak.

"No sir, I was simply-"

"I'm just playing with you. Don't you think that he has a better success rate of being turned back to normal if he comes with us though? You obviously care and want what's best for him." Bradley smiled. "We have his best interests in mind."

'I doubt it.' The traitorous though lingered in his mind.

Bradley nodded to his assistant, who moved forward to grab Edward. Ed instinctively moved away, but collapsed, his head hitting the door as he fell.

Mustang saw this and grabbed him before the assistant. Mustang grunted, he had put on some weight in the time he had been staying with him. The assistant moved closer and Ed whined.

"Don't...let them take me." Ed moaned, feeling dizzy.

The assistant put out his arms to take him.

"No! You can't take him!" Mustang yelled, moving back.

The assistant glared. Then she lifted her hand and punched Mustang's jaw.

Mustang felt like he had been hit by a semi. By the time he recovered, Ed was already in the assistant's arms.

"DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME!" Ed howled, struggling weakly. His eyes met Mustang's for a split second. "Colonel." He begged.

"Good day Mustang." The Fuhror said, then he and his entourage left without another word.

"No! You can't take him." Mustang muttered, defeated.

He was still murmuring those same words when Al came home hours later.

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><p>The plot thickens...DUN DUN DUHHHHHHHHHH!<br>Anyway, I am sorry to say that I am going on a week long hiatus (author's vacation) due to finals at my school. I'll update ASAP ok? I write these in the dead of night because it's the only time my house it quiet, and I just can't pull the old "3 AM and I'm up writing" during finals week. I hope you understand. It doesn't help that this story takes a bit longer to write then my others either. *sigh*

R&R! PWEETY PWEASE?


	4. Chapter 4

**And the hiatus has officially ended! **  
><strong> Now for your viewing entertainment; the dots.<strong>  
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><strong> And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the dots.<strong>  
><strong> *Round of applause*<strong>

** Anonymous: Wow, I guess you're pretty worked up about this... ^.^"**

** FlamingFlyingFoxofDoom: :O DON'T GO EMO ON US FOX! And yes, Selim is huggable before the whole "Pride" thing. *shudders***

** TheLastUnicorn: Glad you liked it!**

** Clair: Key word being SO FAR**

** Katargeo Em: Thanks :D**

** MiniSkirtRanger: Yes, Wrath is a baddie. On a second note, Wait, are you a Ranger? Or a Miniskirt? If you're a ranger, then 'ello, I'm The Pyro Ranger. Nice to meet 'ya! If not, then...**  
><strong> Me: VIC! WE'VE GOT OURSELVES A SKIRT!<strong>  
><strong> Vic: What? *brings lightsaber*<strong>  
><strong> We will bring you down Travis, it's only a matter of time...<strong>

** Fullmetalfan16: I guess you'll have to wait and see! ^w^**

** I did the math, and so far this story has 6 reviews per chapter, and I haven't heard any reports of baby punching yet...WHAT IS GOING ON? o.O No, just kidding. Thank you all, and please keep it up! ^^**

** Oh, and people that are hoping for happy stuff coming down the road, look somewhere else. The story goes downhill from here. Ed...why do I love to torture you so?**  
><strong> Ed: IDK. Maybe you're a sadist in addition to being a pyro?<strong>  
><strong> Me: Maybe... o.O. well, cue the next chapter!<strong>

* * *

><p>Maes Hughes was not having a very good day.<p>

Besides being separated from his beloved Gracia and darling daughter Elysia for the almost unbearable amount of time he spent at work, he had solved two murder cases, been caught up in a police chase, and almost gotten hit by a car.

And yet that still somehow managed to be the best part of his day.

At the end of his crazy day, all Maes wanted to do was jump in his car and drive home to where his wife and daughter were waiting, but he still had one more thing that he had to do.

Sighing, he slowly got in his car and drove to Roy's apartment. Maes had finally gotten his ass into gear and evaluated Ed's paperwork, and he knew Roy would not appreciate it if he delayed giving it to him for another day.

By the time he had driven to his friend's home, it had started to rain. Cursing the world, he walked out into the wet precipitation. 'Roy better damn well appreciate this' he thought with distaste.

After knocking on the door a few times and waiting for a minute or two, he started to get worried. Roy couldn't of left Ed alone, so he or Al HAD to be home. He knocked a few more times before reaching under the mat and grabbing the spare key.

Once he opened the door, he withheld a shudder. The house was dreadfully cold and had an most unpleasant atmosphere that Maes didn't enjoy.

"Hello, Roy?" Maes shouted into the depths of the tiny apartment.

"Is that you Mr. Hughes?" A small voice answered.

"Al?" He peeked his head around the corner to where the armored boy was standing. "Why didn't you answer the door?"

"I just walked in myself. I'm sorry, but there's something wrong with Colonel Mustang!" Al was obviously panicking. "And I can't find Ed anywhere!"

Maes looked around and saw his friend laying on the couch. He quickly made his way over to him. "Roy! Roy, what's wrong? Where's Ed?"

Roy lazily made eye contact. "They took him." He said simply, the slumped back onto the couch.

"Who took him?" Maes pushed.

"THEY did." His eyes were unfocused and the pupils were different sizes, giving him a very odd appearance. He seemed to be trying to get them to understand something they were not understanding at all.

Maes withdrew and looked over to Al. "Call an ambulance, I think Roy had a concussion. I'll go look for Ed."

Al nodded and they split up.

By the time the ambulance arrived, Maes still hadn't found Ed. He had searched every nook and cranny of the tiny apartment, but to no avail.

Maes walked defeatedly over to Roy as he got put on a stretcher. The technicians around him were trying their best to keep him awake. Maes withheld a chuckle as he watched one the of technicians try to convince his superior that the pretty nurse was not his mommy.

Al was crouched into an unresponsive ball in a corner. Maes walked over a put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Al raised his head mournfully. "We lost him again." He whispered.

Maes shrunk a little. What was he supposed to tell a kid that had just lost his disabled chimera brother for a second time? Not to mention that he himself had a bad premonition that the next time they found him, he wouldn't be breathing. He swallowed his sinking feeling and said, "We'll find him Al."

'No we won't.' The unspoken message passed through their eyes as clearly as if it had been spoken.

So, Roy was at the hospital, Ed was missing yet again, and it was still raining. Maes sighed as he walked to his car. 'Could this day get any worse?'

* * *

><p>Well, maybe for Maes the horrible day was coming to it's climax, but for Ed, the horror was just getting started.<p>

"Colonel!" Ed howled as they all piled into the Fuhrer's car.

Ed cried out as the assistant that was holding him was suddenly covered in red light. In less then a few seconds, the assistant's pretty brown hair and light honey eyes melted into ugly green hair and the cruelest purple eyes Ed had ever seen.

Those eyes that captured Ed's attention in a horrified manner contorted into fury. "Shut up, brat!" He shouted, kicking the poor boy in the sides.

Ed let out a howl of pain. Somehow to him, this was...familiar? The chimera searched his memories but only came up with fuzzy glimpses of things. Thinking was hard; it gave him a headache and made his sight blurry.

"Envy! Don't damage the sacrifice!" The Fuhrer hissed.

"Come on Wrath! Let me have a little fun with the human!" The man known as Envy glared at Ed with malice in his eyes. Ed shuddered. The man WANTED to hurt him...and he would, without a doubt. He shuddered again and shrunk into a ball on the floorboards, in a weak attempt to defend himself. The man kicked him yet again, and tears threatened to pour out of Ed's eyes.

"Not so tough now, are you pipsqueak?" Ed felt a primatial urge to yell out against the name, but choked it back. The man kicked him once more, this time aiming for his exposed head. Ed's eyes widened in fear and pain as the kick made impact.

And then it was black.

* * *

><p>(I could or ended it here, but I'm not THAT mean.)<p>

Slowly and painfully Ed opened his eyes. Everywhere hurt; his body hurt naturally from the unnatural form of his body, but Envy's kicks definitely hadn't done any good for him. He scanned the room time and time again, trying in vain to focus his blurry vision. He hadn't really begun to panic until he tried to get up.

He tried to lift his stomach off the ground with his malformed legs, but was restrained by some sort of bondage. Looking over to the points of the pressure, he found metal chains holding him down to the ground where a huge circle was written. Ed began to howl in terror and pull against the chains, but to no avail. After struggling in vain for a few minutes, Ed fell down in a sort dizzy stupor. He breathed deeply for a few seconds.

Suddenly for some reason, the circle caught his eye. It looked...familiar...for some reason that he couldn't place. He studied it for a few more seconds, then gave up. It hurt to think. It hurt to move. It hurt to live.

Ed was about to pass out from exhaustion, when a sudden noise caused adrenaline to spike through his body. Ed twisted his head as far as the chains would let him but still wasn't able to identify the source of the sound. Suddenly, the man known as Envy was standing in front of him and it all made sense.

Ed winced, preparing for another kick, but Envy's attention wasn't on him.

"I brought him Father!" The green-haired goon yelled out.

Father? Ed confusedly looked around the room once more. To his surprise, there was a man sitting in a chair of poles. The man must have been watching him the whole time. He had had no idea...he had been so quiet...

The man called Father was looking at a man that Envy had dragged in. He was a younger person, probably in his mid-twenties. He was wearing a white lab coat, which scared Ed to the core. He had had some pretty bad experiences with men in white coats.

"This is the alchemist?" Father looked dubiously at the young man.

Alchemist. For some reason that word caught Ed's attention. Why? Why? Why? He couldn't remember...why not? The thought played through his head over and over like a broken record.

"Yes, Father." The green-haired man case a look of loathing upon the man. "It took me long enough to get him though."

"What do you people want with me?" The man yelled out, looking back and forth to Envy and Father.

"We need you to do a simple task for us." Father said, his voice smooth.

"What sort of a task?" The man pushed his glasses up quickly and nervously.

"We need you to try to get this chimera back to normal." Father said, gesturing to Ed, who whined loudly.

The man slowly walked over to the alchemic array. After looking at it for a second he stifled a gasp. "This is human transmutation!"

"Well what'd you expect?" Envy glared at him.

"I won't-" He was cut off as several black shadows grabbed him at his arms and midriff.

"We aren't asking-we're telling." A child-like voice rang out from the source of the shadows. Slowly, he began to lower the man closer and closer to the transmutation circle. Ed did nothing, standing unmoving as prey does when it is staring into the eyes of the predator that will spell it's end.

Several seconds passed, and then the hands made contact with the circle.

The circle lit up in a great flash of blue light.

Both the alchemist and Edward stared, enthralled as the glue light cackled around them.

The first sign that something was amiss was when the chains around Edward started to deteriorate. Ed tried to move, but he was bound by the forces of alchemy. Next, his front right forepaw and his left hind paw started to disappear. Edward's chimera brain tried to process this, but was unable to, leaving him looking horrifiedly at the place where his right paw had once been.

Then the pain hit.

Mind-crushing pain racked his body as bones shifted, muscles expanded and snapped, tendons and ligaments moved around to fit the form of a human body.

"Stop! STOP!" Ed screamed shaking his head back and forth.

Fur fell off, ears shrunk back to normal human size, paws grew out to become the fingers they had once been.

"MAKE IT STOP!" The pleas became more complex as his brain and vocal chords adjusted to their normal human form.

Several red stones gleamed on the ground. 'I'm sorry' Edward thought as he noticed this small fact. He never wanted to have to use Philosopher's stones. Never. But here it was happening.

Slowly, the light and pain began to fade, and the scientist fell, dead, to the ground. Ed fell as well. Fuzzily he looked around the room one last time, his eyes lingered for a second on the shiny automail on his arm. 'How?' He thought, then he remembered the chains. They must have been steel.

His breathes became ragged and fast, as if he could not get enough air. His heart beat became slower and slower.

'I'm sorry I couldn't get you back to normal Al. I love you.' Then Edward Elric took his final breath, and died.

LINE BREAK HERE!

Envy walked over to the transmutation circle, stepping over the mauled body of the scientist along the way. He looked at Ed. He was back to normal, but he wasn't moving. He kicked him in an attempt to get him up.

Envy laughed a cruel laugh. "Guess Shortie didn't survive the transmuation!" He chuckled, kicking Ed's body again for good measure.

Father signed. "I was fearing that. We lost an important sacrifice candidate." he walked over to the older Elric brother. "We can't let him go to waste though." Slowly, he pulled out a dagger and a bottle full of red liquid.

Envy's eyes widened. "You're going to make Shimpy a homunculus?"

Father didn't answer, instead bending down and making a small cut on Edward's cheek. Then, he uncapped the bottle and poured the liquid in.

It was silent for a few minutes as the soulds that had been released into Edward's bloodstream fought for supremacy of the body. After one finally won, the ouraboros tattoo burned itself into Edward's chest.

Slowly, the body began to move and made movements to stand up. After getting situated on his feet, the new homunculus' eyes narrowed with an insane glimmer in them. Then he chuckled evilily.

The chuckle struck fear in Envy's almost inexistent heart. Pride looked fearful and even Father looked unsettled for a split second.

"Pipsqueak?" Envy questioned, unsure.

Edward turned his attention toward Envy. His eyes flickered insanely. Only, they weren't Edward's eyes. They were purple and full of insanity that would stike fear into the heart of even the bravest men. Again he chuckled.

And Envy shuddered.

* * *

><p><strong>And, there goes the plot twist.<strong>

** Now, I know what you're going to say, "WHY WOULD YOU TURN THIS FROM A CHIMERA!ED STORY TO A HOMUNCULUS!ED STORY?"**

** I'm sorry, it was out there...and I just HAD to do it...hope you guys understand.**

** Also, I need to name this new humunculus. I have two names I want to use and can't decide. Should it be Regret or Sadist? Drop me your opinion in a review, and the one with the most reviews will win! :D**  
><strong> Even though they aren't part of the seven deadly sins, they're still sins...so I should be able to use them, because Father can still take them out of himself. <strong>

** So, yep. I would love some reviews, because they make me happy, but don't do it for me, do it for the bunny!**  
><strong> Bunny: Please review so that this crazy person will let me go!<strong>  
><strong> Me: ^~^ 6 reviews lets the bunny go free!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**I have one thing to say before I start. DANG YOU WRITER'S BLOCK! I have so many ideas for this story yet this chapter was SO hard to write.**

**I was going to reply to the reviews, but I got so many that if I replied to them all, the A/N would be longer then the story...so I did this!**

**A Special Thanks To: YamiToMangaka, skywright, FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom, FullmetalFan16, alchemistofpeace, Perseus46, Professor-Evans, awesomenaruto, Raven of the Willows, Fanged Alchemist, Fireena, Eternal Love's Eclipse, A Random Reviwer, and Thelastunicorn for reviewing! I love you all! ^^**

**A Special Thank you: YamiToMangaka, skywright, FlamingFlyingFoxofDoom, Professor-Evans, awesomenaruto, Raven of the Willows, St. Iggy the Pyro, Fireena, Eternal Love's Eclipse, A Random Reviwer and Fanged Alchemist for voting! Yes, I got a vote too!**

**I'm sorry for all of you that either dislikes the sudden change of plot and/or dislike made-up homunculi. I just didn't want to do another Pride-Ed BlueBird rip-off and I needed to change the plot so that I won't get anymore crap from the #28 fans. Thank you all for bearing with me and I hope even those of you who are disappointed continue to read! Thanks!**

**And now, what you've all been waiting for! The homunculus name count!**

**Regret: 4****  
><strong>**Sadist: 5****  
><strong>**THE REVIEWERS HAVE SPOKEN! Sadist it is!****  
><strong>**And, honorable mention to Professor-Evans and FlamingFlyingFoxofDoom for their homunculus names, Taboo and Guilt! I wanted to use them, but it was a contest between Regret and Sadist. I hope you understand.**

**Definition****of Sadism: Someone who enjoys causing pain. So the new homunculus enjoys causing pain. That is agreeable to the plot that is coming.**

**Disclaimer: I can imagine it now. You're a writer, with MILLIONS of fans worldwide. So you decide to go onto a site, totally BUTCHER your brilliant plot, create ridiculous pairings, and have horrible grammar for the FUN of it. *sigh* I don't get why we have to have disclaimers on a FANFICTION site...**

**Cue the chapter!**

* * *

><p>If someone had told Envy that within the hour, the Fullmetal Alchemist would be dead and a new homunculus would be born, Envy would of laughed and promptly kill them for it. If the same person had to him that they would be afraid of this new homunculus, Envy would of laughed harder. But, there was something about this guy; be it his laugh or his pure evil presence that unsettled Envy and rocked him to his very core.<p>

The room temperature seemed to drop ten degrees as the new homunculus chuckled. An almost awkward silence filled the room as the he glance around the whole room and at himself.

Pride was the first to break the silence. "Who are you?"

The new homunculus surveyed the room with purple snake-like eyes that glinted with insanity. When they finally settled on Pride, he had to withhold a shudder. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that was true, Pride was very unsettled by this soul.

"What a funny question. Who am I?" His voice sounded so much like Edward that it was scary, yet somehow it was...colder. Like if Edward had an evil twin. He pondered the question for a second and then answered, "My name is Sadist, and strangely enough, that is also who I am." He looked at his hands and clenched the automail one several times before asking, "Why is this one made of metal?"

"It's called automail-" Pride began, but Sadist cut in.

"I didn't ask what it's called. I asked why it was made of metal. Unless my host was somewhat insane and cut his arm off, something must have happened." Sadist glared at him with purple eyes that were starting to mix with gold, giving them an intense and unique look.

Pride was taken aback. Being the oldest, he had seen several homunculi being born over the years; yet none as strange as this one. He didn't respond, as he didn't know if Father wanted him to know of the former body's owner's past.

Sadist looked angry for a moment before giving in and shrugging. "Whatever. I'll find out soon enough. You guys have somewhere for me to bunk or something? I'm tired. Had to do a lot of fighting in here," He pointed to his chest, directly over his ouraboros tattoo. "This loser named Regret almost won. And I had to fight two guys named Taboo and Guilt at the same time, so I'm beat." he turned towards the door and started walking away. **(1)**

"Hey! Wait, you!" Envy called out. "We have to find out your power, and you have to meet the other homunculi."

Sadist stopped in his tracks. He chuckled before cockily replying, "Are you going to stop me?"

"Look, I'm tired of this cocky, look-out-for-number-1 attitude. I'm older then you so you'll-" Envy was cut off as suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his neck.

Before he knew what was happening, his self-healing alchemy was flashing around his neck area and the new homunculus was standing behind him with his automail arm turned into a broad sword.

Sadist stared at the red light on his neck with enthralled eyes. His mouth twitched into an excited smirk. "You heal so fast." His eyes darkened. "I could cause you so much pain before you died."

Pride did a quick survey of the situation. "Well, at least we found out what his power is."

"A homunculus that can use alchemy; he will be useful." Father nodded approvingly before telling Envy to show him to a room.

Envy's face soured as Sadist smirked at him. Envy wasted no time to showing him to his room. Anything to get rid of the little creep faster.

* * *

><p>While he was finally away in his own room, in a basement bunker that approximately 2 people knew about, Sadist took a look at himself in the mirror.<p>

He was an extremely vain creature, and he could admire his reflection for hours on end if allowed to do so.

He proudly examined what was formerly Edward's golden hair and eyes. He marbled over the well-kept body structure and the red tattoo-like nodes that ran down it. He looked at the bright red ouraboros tattoo that gleamed on the right side of his chest, exactly where his heart would be. He carefully examined the strange metal apparatuses dubbed "automail" and for a split second wondered, yet again, how his "host" had gotten them.

But not for very long. Sadist, for some reason, could never seem to keep still or linger on unpleasant subjects for long periods of time. He preferred not to, so he didn't.

After giving his new body a thorough inspection, he headed for a dusty cot that resided in the corner of the barracks. As fate would have it, he would get no sleep.

The second he laid down a retina-searing migraine hit, as thousands of images passed through his mind. Images that seemed to be predominantly of a young boy, and an antique suit of armor, and a kind-eyed brunette, but also consisted of a blonde girl and the "automail" that his host wore.

"Make it stop!" He howled as the images changed from people to research on a subject known as alchemy, nearly incomprehensible scribbles on something extremely taboo, and an object known as the Philosopher's Stone.

Many more images flashed through his mind, most of them being people in the same identical blue uniform. Flashes of enemies and friends, births and deaths, a pocket watch with a date inscribed on its shiny chrome interior.

Finally the images began to slow and the migraine began to fade. As the migraine came to an end, Sadist closed his eyes and got his much-needed sleep.

LINE BREAK HERE!

Sadist woke up shortly afterwards to the musty room he was barely familiar with. He wondered for a moment what could have possibly woken him, but soon gave up on the endeavor; as he was a light sleeper, it was more a manner of what DIDN'T wake him, rather then what DID.

Slowly, he rose into a sitting position, feeling a painful ache behind his eye as he did. For a second, he wondered why. Then he remembered the migraine.

He sat there for a few minutes, trying to figure out what the images meant; or if they even meant anything at all. He shrugged it off; telling himself there would be plenty of time for investigations later. He needed some fresh air and he definitely wasn't going to get it in this musty old barracks.

Carefully he navigated the hallways outside the (his?) room. He carefully looked in every room he came across, because one of them HAD to lead up, therefore the surface; outside. Sadist wanted to taste the fresh air, to feel the grass on his feet...er...foot.

Finally, he spotted something that would take him outside. 'Bingo' he thought as he slowly made his way to the elevator.

* * *

><p>Roy sat alone in his office. It had been two days since Edward had been taken away by the Fuhrer, and Roy still felt dead inside. Hawkeye, being the observant person she was, had noticed this and argued against his being at work today. But Roy had insisted. Doing paperwork was the preferable alternative to getting totally wasted to forget what had happened. And he had actually done some for once. Honestly, it was scaring his "team."<p>

'Next thing you know, Havoc will have a steady relationship and Falman will forget something.' Breda had scoffed, earning him a glare from both of them. Others little remarks like this had been made throughout the day. Not that Mustang had noticed.

Or cared.

Finally, his stomach's protests got to be so loud that even the emotionless blob that was Roy Mustang today heard it. Not really wanting to, he made his way to the lunchroom.

As he walked, the elevator doors that were closest to his office opened. This wasn't a strange occurrence; the elevators were used countless times by many-an-officer. As Roy walked by them, though, in the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of gold. One name on his mind, he turned his head behind him to the abandoned hallway.

As he turned to face the newcomer, he asked one single word, cracked with grief.

"Fullmetal?"

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, it's short…Because I had to take that cliffhanger. Why? Because I'm evil. Haha. Hoho. Hehe.<strong>

**(1) I'm sorry, I just HAD to squeeze those in there XD**

**Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...*obsessive crazy writer moment***

**This has 8 reviews per chapter! I'm so happy :')**

**'til next time!**

**~Pyro out**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. Sorry this update took so long, my internet browser broke and I had to wait to get it fixed before I could update.**

**A special thanks to: YamiToMangaka, awesomenaruto, FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom, skywright, Couldn't think of a name, Eternal Love's Eclipse, FullmetalFan16, sliverblueroses, Throwa-Egypt, Dylexa (5 times, -le gasp-), and Thelastunicorn for reviewing.**

**Claimer: Actually, I own this, so-**

***gets beaten multiple times by a cow in 'fighting panties'***

**Disclaimer: Oww...*puts ice and bandaids on wounds and bruises* Never mind. Scratch what I said earlier, I own none of it. Except Sadist.**  
><strong>*Glomps Sadist*<strong>  
><strong>Sadist: *Huggles*<strong>  
><strong>Me: He's only hugging me because if he's a bad OC, he'll have to go back in the far reaches of my mind with Raven, my schizophrenic voice.<strong>  
><strong>Sadist: *Shudders*<strong>

**Cue the chapter!**

* * *

><p>As Mustang took a step towards Edward, he couldn't believe his eyes. His first thought was, 'Great, now I'm hallucinating.' There was no way Ed was back to normal, let alone standing in front of him.<p>

Yet the longer he stared, the less sure he was that it was a hallucination.

"Fullmetal?" He asked, his voice cracking in grief. It couldn't be Ed...it must be another torturous image that his mind had brought up to torment him. The problem was, he didn't want it to be yet another hallucination; he wanted it to be real SO bad...

Edward spun around to face Roy. His bright golden eyes were glazed with confusion, but then they widened with understanding. Could it be possible that Ed really was here, and recognized him? The thought almost seemed to good to be true. Ed had barely recognized him as a chimera, just two days ago. Roy took yet another step towards Ed. And another and another. "Ed?" He asked, a hopeful voice rather then a grief-stricken one.

Roy took another step. And yet another, until he had Edward snuggled up in a very tight hug. A hug that Edward didn't return. Instead he just stood there. But if the worst thing that happened today was that Ed wouldn't return a hug from his superior officer, then that was OK.

"He. He. He." A very unEd-like chuckle came from the mouth of the teen in Roy's arms.

"Ed...ward?" Roy asked, removing his arms and taking a precautionary step backwards as his military training kicked in.

"You're from the images." Edward cocked his head creepily to the side as eyes glazed over with insanity bore into Roy's soul. His eyes reminded him of a serial killer's that he had once faced. A killer that was probably dead himself by now, either that or rotting in jail...

"The images? Ed, you're not making any sense." Ed may have been back, but something was definitely wrong with him. Something astronomically wrong.

* * *

><p>(Sadist's POV)<p>

How much fun this was. His first experience on the surface and already he was able to torment someone that had been important to his host. Someone who though he was the host right now. What was his name? Edward. Yes. What a plain name. Not at all like Sadist, you NEVER hear about anybody named that.

"I wonder what you'd look like with scarlet coming out of you; crying like a child tormented by nightmares." Sadist pondered aloud.

In a whoosh, he was behind Roy, his left hand on the man's shoulder. "I guess we'll find out." Roy's eyes widened in horror and fear.

The made Sadist ecstatic. Someone was afraid of him. The very thought filled him with glee. "That's right! Don't you fear me?"

"I'm not afraid of you, Ed." The Colonel said bravely, staring straight ahead. Suddenly he wished the walls were a different color. White was a very bland color to be looking at when you died. Roy wasn't ready to give up yet though. He had so much he still had to do. He had to become the Fuhrer and fix Amestris for the better. But how could he be expected to fight against Ed? And not a sparing match either, this was most likely going to be a fight to the death. He couldn't...and wouldn't kill Ed. He wouldn't be able to look Alphonse in the eyes and tell him that he was the one responsible for his brother's death.

Then he felt hot breath on his neck near his ear. Breath that reeked of blood. "But I'm not Edward. He's dead. I'm Sadist."

Roy slowly started to inch away from Edward. Or Sadist, whoever the hell he was now. "That's not true-Ed can't be dead." He muttered in an barely audible whisper.

"If he was, why would you care?" Sadist pondered. What made this man so special that he was in the images?

"I'm his superior officer. I'm supposed to look after Edward. It's my responsibility." Roy said blandly. In truth, he actually thought of Ed more like a son; but he would never willingly admit it.

"Really? What a boring reason." Sadist sighed before changing his automail arm into a sword. He was really in the images just because he had been his host's superior? What a boring reason. He lifted his arm to deliver what would be the blow that ended Roy's life.

In the millisecond before he decided to strike though, something happened that he hadn't expected.

_"DON'T!"_ A voice that wasn't his exploded inside Sadist's head, causing another migraine. Clutching his head, Sadist's attention left Roy, which ultimately saved the man's life. Sadist closed his eyes so tightly that he was afraid that they might burst. As the pain dimmed, he slowly opened his eyes. He was so surprised at what he saw, that he jumped back and blinked several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

He was back in soul form, with no body to carry him. He was once again swimming amongst the souls that he had fought less then 24 hours ago for supremacy. In front of him, sitting calmly cross-legged, was the body he had begun to call his own.

"So you finally decided to show your ugly face." The golden haired boy exclaimed in an annoyed tone.

_"Where am I?"_ Sadist was surprised by his own voice. It sounded so...distorted, unrealistic. He had already gotten used to the voice that the boy (Edmund was it?) was speaking with right now.

"Somewhere in my body probably. I dunno exactly where." The boy stood up and glared at him.

_"Your body? Don't make me laugh. It's mine now. Why are you alive anyway? You're supposed to be dead!"_

"Well, sorry to disappoint you." Ed said blandly. "I think the alchemic energy the philosopher's stone produces is sustaining my life force." He tilted his head to the side. "I don't know though. And it's MY body. I will gain control of it again. By force if necessary."

_"Heh. Try if you want, pip-squeak. I'll win any pathetic battle you start."_ Sadist's vision was blurring. He suddenly felt very sleepy. Trying to fight it, he kept his lessening vision on Edward, but eventually he succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

><p>When he woke up, he was on the floor. Lazily he looked around, trying to regain the ability to use the body which he had momentarily lost control of. Looking up, he made eye contact with one of the people he wanted to see the least. It was none other then the one and only Roy Mustang. Roy now had white gloves adorning his hands and one of those same hands pointed at Sadist in a snapping position. Sadist had a sinking feeling that this gesture meant more then it implied.<p>

Suddenly, another face came into view. This time, it was an unfamiliar. A pretty young girl in a outfit fit for a doctor or nurse. Suddenly, she had Sadist in a too-tight hug, shouting "Edward!" at what must of been close to the top of her lungs. Hugging him closer, she whispered in his ear in a tone that no one else could hear, "Play along with it pipsqueak, or I'll kill you."

"Envy?" Sadist whispered back in a shocked gasp.

"Yes. Play along." Envy whispered. Suddenly the homunculus discussed as a nurse jumped up and started shaking Roy's hand furiously. "Thank you for finding him, Sir! We were just so WORRIED!" Sadist was all but sure that he was the only one that caught the ugly sneer in the homunculus' voice. Maybe he just knew Envy better, even though they had only met once.

"And who would you be?" Roy said in a calm, collective voice, not taking his eyes off of the boy that still lay on the floor. He was probably scared that if he lost eye contact, the boy would try to run.

"Edward's nurse. Sally. Sally River. He snuck out about an hour ago. The staff and I were so worried about him." Envy nodded furiously to get his point across.

"And that is Edward?" Roy asked suspiciously, still not trusting the way that the boy had acted just moments ago.

"Well who did you expect? His evil twin brother?" Envy rolled his eyes.

"He claimed to be a different person." Roy defended himself.

The homunculus looked grief-stricken. Well, as grief-stricken as you can look when you're a sadistic crime against nature itself. "Edward's 'treatment' caused neurological damage. This has caused a great amount of problems such as multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia." Roy nodded at this. "I need to take him back to his bed now." Roy nodded again.

Grabbing Sadist and helping him up, they walked away. Halfway to the elevator, though, Roy called out. "Wait a second, prove you're a nurse!" Envy sighed and showed him a badge that was surely forged, and he let the pair go to the elevator.

Once away from Mustang's watchful eye, the two began to talk freely. Envy transformed into his normal, palm-tree gender-confused form. Sadist had what most would call a laughing fit.

Between laughs, he spoke with a stuttering difficulty.

"Didn't know you *snicker* knew such b-big words, Envy!" Sadist chuckled. This earned him a glare. "And the NAME. Sally River. How original can you get?"

"What? It's the name I use all the time! I've never had a problem before!" Envy's glare bore holes into him.

Sadist giggled more. Then his face turned serious. "Wait. You can shape-shift?"

"Well, duh." Envy rolled his eyes. "Each homunculus had their own special power."

Sadist chewed on this though for a moment. "What's mine?" But Envy had no time to answer, as the elevator stopped conveniently right at that moment.

Steeping out, Envy started leading him down a hall, opposite of the way Sadist had expected to go. "Uh, my room is THAT way." He stated pointedly, gesturing with his thumb in the opposite direction.

"We ain't going to your room." Envy growled. Sadist waited, but he offered no other explanation as to their destination.

They walked down another corridor, into the room of Sadist's 'birth'. The room which held the throne of poles that the one known as Father sat upon.

"Good job, Envy." Father said, as the homunculus swelled with pride. He glared at Sadist. "You could of fouled up our plans."

"I wanted some fresh air." Sadist explained meekly, falling back from Father's intense gaze.

Father glared at him for a long moment before shrugging and saying, "It doesn't matter anyway. We have an assignment for you."

Sadist nodded curtly, automatically standing up straighter.

Father paused for a moment before stating loud and clear, "We need you to become the Fullmetal Alchemist; Edward Elric."

* * *

><p><strong>And there goes my odd other plotline. Where are you going with this story, plot hole?<strong>  
><strong>Plot Hole: *roars*<strong>  
><strong>Me: : I don't like the tone of voice you're using with me.**  
><strong>The plot hole is my plot creature. Some people have bunnies, squirrels, or even penguins, while I'm stuck with this freaking plot hole. If anything goes missing in your house, you should blame the plot hole as well, 'cause he takes things. He stole my phone charger last week. I need it back. Bad.<strong>

**Moving on...**

**YAY! ED ISN'T DEAD! I'm happy even though it's my story...**

**...Strange...**

**Oh! Before I forget. I am officially looking for a beta. Even though I am a beta myself, I, like most people, have trouble tearing my own story apart. I need someone who will tell me if someone's too OOC or if I'm using a certain word too much. That and grammar issues. If you think you're up to the task, just drop me a PM (I WILL respond, I promise) or a review. Thanks!**

**~Pyro**


	7. Chapter 7

**Internet's still not fixed. (last two chapters updated from a Starbucks****)**

**Special thanks to: FullmetalFan16, FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom, Dylexa, Eternal Love's Eclipse, and Thelastunicorn for reviewing**

**Speaking of...WE HIT OUR 50th REVIEW! *parties* Thanks for the ego boost. Seriously. I have a poll up on what we should do to celebrate this. So go vote. After reading this. I command thee!**

**Me: Sadist, If you would please do the disclaimer.****  
><strong>**Sadist: *hides*****  
><strong>**Me: why are you hiding?****  
><strong>**Sadist: I've been threatened WAY to many times by the fangirls (and boys) for simply being your OC. I'm going to wait the rest of the story out in****Canada****.****  
><strong>**Me: DON'T MENTION THAT WORD IN MY PRESENCE!****  
><strong>**Sadist: ^^!" Sorry,**_** Canadia**_**...bye! *poofs into thin air*****  
><strong>**Me: Crap. Now I don't have a muse.****  
><strong>**Raven: **_**Well, that's where I come in, I guess.**_**  
><strong>**Me: Oh no D: It's my schizophrenic voice!****  
><strong>**Raven: **_**heh. St. Iggy the Pyro owns nothing. Except Sadist. But he's currently in Canadia. If you would like to be included in the army that is hell-bent on taking over Canada and renaming it Canadia, please put the word "Canadia" in a review.**_

**Well...cue the chapter I guess...****  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"We need you to become the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric."<p>

Sadist's eyes widened in surprise. Then they narrowed in confusion. "How am I supposed to become someone who I'm a total opposite of?"

"Well, you aren't _total _opposites. And how would you know if you were? You don't know anything about him." Father continued, in a bored-sounding voice.

Sadist looked down. It was true. He didn't know anything about Edward. Except that he was a State Alchemist. For all he knew, they could be identical. But, from his brief visit with him in the "Room of Souls" he didn't feel like they were similar at all. He stood and wondered briefly if the other homunculi could make contact with their former hosts. Well, unintentional contact. He briefly wondered if he should mention the meeting with Edward, but again decided against it. If it wasn't normal, they might think him insane.

"Here is all the information we have gathered on him." Father continued, passing Sadist a rather full-looking file. "You may go study it in one of the bedrooms." And with that, Sadist was dismissed. He hurried back to the bunker that even in such a short time he had begun to call home.

He fell back on the dusty bed, almost expecting another migraine to hit. He was relieved when he was allowed to lie down without his brain feeling like it was about to explode. "Thanks." He muttered to himself in the lonely room, feeling like an idiot. He had meant it to be addressed to Edward, but he wasn't sure if the golden haired boy was even able to hear him. Sighing, he fell back as comfortably as he could on the old bed and started reading into the file. It was filled with friendships, military officers, and even a family tree that traced his mother's side back into the great-great-great grandparents. The father's side was strangely empty. There were likes, dislikes, clothing preferences, even which brand of automail oil he preferred.

"Man, they really stalked you." He muttered distastefully. He had no qualms about getting to know who he was supposed to impersonate, but this just felt wrong. A total invasion of privacy. I mean, why on **EARTH **would they ever need to know what size underwear he wore? How they came across this information, Sadist didn't even want to know.

Slowly, he made his way through the large yellow file. A few times, he would come across something he recognized, like that military jerk Roy Mustang. Or something from the images. He learned that the antique armor that he had seen was actually a person, Edward's little brother no less. Upon learning this little tidbit of information, he was interrupted by a most unlikely source.

_"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"_Suddenly, Edward's voice raged in his head.

"And if I don't?" Sadist questioned playfully, in fact, enjoying the fact that Edward could see anything that he saw. He would be able to torment him with this newfound ability.

_"I'LL RIP YOU APART, LIMB FROM LIMB!"_Came yet another shout from Edward.

"I'd love to see you try." Sadist smiled evilly. "I'd be kind of hard, you know, given your current position. I think I'll kill him just to see what you do." He pondered, gaining intense joy from the growing rage and despair from the young teen.

_"Please...don't..." _Edward moaned softly, much to the glee of Sadist.

"I guess we'll see." Sadist taunted. Then his tone turned serious. "But remember this. Everyone you care about, their lives hang in the palm of my hand." Then he focused his attention back on the files that we're laid out in front of him.

Finally, it seemed, he learned about the origins and causes for the "automail" on what he considered his arms and legs.

"You poor little boy; drabbling in the dark art of necromancy (1) at such a young age."

_"Shut up...you don't know anything."_Edward was silent from then on, lurking within his own thoughts and memories Sadist supposed.

After what seemed like hours of research later, Sadist knew everything there was to know about Edward. About his height complex, his distaste for milk, his fierce love for his little brother. He knew things like his exact height (5' 4", if you included his small "antenna") his weight (140 pounds without the automail) his age (15, which was quite ridiculous considering his height, or rather lack of). He knew his hopes, he dreams, hell, he even knew his dental records! He was feeling up to the task of impersonating the person who had once been Edward Elric. And even if he screwed up, he had the excuse of being neurotically damaged. It was foolproof.

Sadist sighed. He was trying to convince himself that it would actually work. Suddenly, the irresistible urge for fresh air struck him once again. With silence worthy of a master thief, the homunculus made his way to the surface and his goal. With no distractions, he actually made it this time.

Taking his first breath of fresh surface air felt implicitly nice. So nice that he inhaled another huge breath, reveling in the non-musty smell and taste. He took another, and another. Finally, his deep breathing caught the attention of a military official.

"Geeez kid, you'd think you we're suffocating! This is military property, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Sadist didn't like the "kid" remark very much. He was the embodiment of sadism. How many child sadists could there be?

Shaking off the anger at being called a child, Sadist started wandering the streets. He must of looked pretty odd barefoot, but he had managed to find some long-abandoned clothes in his "room" that weren't too shabby.

Suddenly, a muffled scream from an alley to his left caught his attention. Slowly he moved toward the sound, sort of like how a moth moves toward a light. He knew he shouldn't, but some primatial instinct drove him. He chuckled at the scene that he came upon. For there, in a dark, secluded section of the alley, was a large man pushing a young women slowly into a corner. Tears were streaming down her face, but her mouth was covered by one of the burly hands.

As Sadist drew closer, he heard snippets of conversation.

"-Such pretty fair skin; makes me want to cut it."

"Please..."

Sadist chuckled once again at this scene. This time, the man heard him. He turned towards Sadist.

"Something funny; kid?" The man made a large show of the knife in his hands, making sure it glinted in the little sunlight that streamed into the alley in cracks.

"Oh, no, I just find it hilarious at how cliché this is." The thug raised an eyebrow. Sadist groaned. "Come on, large man corners young girl in an alley way, kills her, leaves her body for the cops. Its so...unoriginal. If you're going to be a serial killer, at least make up your own style."

"I don't like your attitude; you little brat." The man advanced towards Sadist.

_"Big mistake."_Sadist muttered, waiting for the perfect moment before striking, not unlike the way a snake would strike. He grabbed the thug's forehead with his automail fist and shoved it as hard as he could into the alley wall. There was a sickening crunch and the thug fell to the ground.

Sadist turned his gaze over to the women, who was shakily starting getting up. "T-thank y-y-you." She kept stuttering, as she advanced towards her savior.

"I wouldn't thank me yet." Sadist muttered darkly, before meeting her gaze with an insane lust for blood.

He started moving slowly towards her, as if in an old horror movie. She once again found her back to the wall. He clasped his uneven palms together and the automail one suddenly gained a wicked sharp edge that it hadn't had before. He slowly moved it towards her throat, inching ever so slowly. Slowly. She watched like a deer would watch headlights, about to get run down by a car, but too scared to think, much less move. Finally the knife's blade was at her all-important jugular vein. Centimeters away from cutting it, her life was now in his hands. This, he mused, was a good feeling.

He slowly poked the knife's edge into her neck, watching with satisfaction as a small bead of crimson rolled out and down her shoulder, leaving a red-tinted trail behind. It looked exactly the same as the silent tears that moved down her face.

He was about to end it all when the anguished cry came.

_"STOP!"_Edward's voice rang out. Sadist stopped and smirked.

"Why should I? Just because you're soft and can't handle death doesn't mean I should be restricted."

_"Please! She's done nothing to deserve it!"_Edward begged, he couldn't just sit and watch as Sadist killed this innocent woman.

"Exactly." Sadist hissed, then plunged the knife into her skin, breaking the connection of the all-important jugular. Sadist backed away, soon she would die; her own heart would be working to kill her. Satisfied finally, Sadist made his way back to the military headquarters. He now knew that it had not been fresh air that he had been craving.

As he walked up, a different officer stopped him, but upon seeing his face, his own face turned chalk-white. "M-Mr. Elric; Sir!" He shouted.

"I have business here, step aside." He ordered. The officer complied immediately, not wanting to get in the way of a person that he was several times outranked by. Once in headquarters, he made his way down the elevator to not his own room, but to Father's room.

"What is it?" Father asked in a very annoyed tone.

"I'm ready to become Edward." Sadist said almost awkwardly.

"Good. I will have Envy escort you after you get ready. Pride?" He questioned, looking over to the boy cloaked in shadows. Sadist had not seen him before Father had mentioned it. He would have to look out for him. Pride nodded handed him a bag full of clothes. Sadist immediately started looking through, feeling akin to a child on Christmas morning. He quickly pulled on the black pants and shirt, followed by an black overcoat and a red cloak with a symbol that Sadist now recognized as the symbol of an alchemist. The first thing he noticed was that it was dreadfully hot under so many layers. He would have to learn to bear with it.

"Now I just need to braid my hair." Sadist pointed out, remembering that in all the pictures Ed's long golden hair had been braided. He started clumsily fumbling to do so, but out of no where, one of Pride's shadows did it for him. Those freaky shadows never ceased to amaze him.

As if on cue, Envy appeared. As he walked, his form started to melt down into the same nurse that he had used earlier. "Come on." he called, walking out of the room. Sadist took one last look at Father, who nodded approvingly, and started off to become the Fullmetal Alchemist.

* * *

><p>(1) As you've probably guessed, necromancy is the art of trig to bring someone back from the dead.<p>

Yes, I do realize that this chapter is mostly filler. I'm sorry, but I can't have it being action and craziness 24/7. I actually had no idea where I was going with this chapter until it was written. It just kinda flowed out.

~Pyro


End file.
